Blacksmiths
in Runham
This research has
been carried out by our local historian -
references where available are quoted within
the text.
Runham, historically, had two
smithies:
The Street Smithy
1) By the south side of The
Street, just west of the village pond and
southwest of the Horse Shoes P.H. This was
operational from or by 1815 until 1938, save
for an apparent break from or after 1881 until
1900, perhaps a little earlier. For ease of
reference, I will refer to this site as The
Street. It appears on four maps accompanying
this report as follows, although is only named
on one of them:
a) O.S. 1/10, 560, surveyed
1884.
b) O.S. 1/2,500, surveyed 1905.
Smithy named.
c) O.S. 1/10,560, surveyed
1926.
d) O.S. 1/2,500, surveyed 1926.
Details
of The Street Smithy
The Low Road Smithy
2) At a row of three cottages
by the Low Road, north-east of Manor Farm and
north-west of Whitegate Farm. This was
operational from 1846 until 1900, perhaps a
little later. For ease of reference, I will
refer to this site as the Low Road. It appears
on three maps accompanying this report as
follows, although is only named on one of
them:
e) O.S. 1/10,560, surveyed
1884.
f) O.S. 1/10,560, surveyed 1904
(and published 1906). Smithy named (as Smy.),
although it had shortly beforehand ceased to
operate as such.
g) O.S. 1/2,500, surveyed 1904.
See
details on the Low Road
Smithy
THE
SMITHY IN THE STREET
At the baptism of his youngest
child in 1815, William Thompson of Runham was described
as a blacksmith. William was certainly living
in Runham when he married in 1807, and may
well have operated as a blacksmith from this
time, perhaps even earlier. Given his age at
burial, he was born about 1777; however, he
was not baptized at Runham. The overall
evidence gathered during the course of this
report indicates that William, then,
successively, two of his sons, operated the
smithy in The Street.
William Thompson married
Elizabeth Bayes at Runham on 17th February
1807, both single of the parish; witnesses
Thomas Dibal and Judith London, the latter
marking X. William and Elizabeth had the
following children here:
William Bayes: born 26th March
and baptized 3rd April 1808. of whom more in
due course.
Eliza Bayes: born 29th December
1810 and baptized 6th January 1811.
John Bayes: born 28th October
and baptized 8th November 1812. Of whom more
in due course.
Henry Bayes: baptized 23rd
April 1815.
Elizabeth Thompson, mother of
the above children, was buried at Runham on
18th March 1827, aged 40; consequently, she
had been born about 1787, but I did not find
her baptism at Runham.
William Thompson, father of the
above children, was buried at Runham on 8th
January 1832, aged 55.
Upon the death of William
Thompson, his eldest son William Bayes
Thompson took over the smithy in The Street.
The latter had married Martha London at Runham
on 17th May 1831, both single of the parish,
and with the bride marking X; witnesses John
Thompson - presumably John Bayes Thompson, the
groom's brother - and a Caroline whose surname
was written illegibly in the register. This
couple had but one child, their
son William Bayes who was baptized at Runham
on 29th June 1834 and buried here on the
following 1st August, aged 5 weeks. For at
least the period 1836 to 1839, William Bayes
Thompson kept the Horse Shoes P.H., as well as
running the nearby smithy. According to the
Tithe Apportionment Schedules of 1839,
Thompson actually occupied one part of the
part while the other part was occupied by the
owner of the entire property, Mary London -
one whom I suspect may have been his
mother-in-law. In 1839, Mary London was also
owner of the row of three cottages by the Low
Road, at which site Runham's other smithy was
to become operational from 1846. In 1839, the
smithy worked by William Bayes Thompson was
held with a pightle of 31 perches, and owned
by Richard Fabb, then owner-occupier of Manor
House Farm.
About 1840, it would appear
that William Bayes Thompson relinquished the
smithy by The Street in favour of his next
younger brother, John Bayes Thompson. The
latter had first married a Marianne, but
where, when and her maiden name have not been
established. This couple had the following
children:
John Henry: baptized at Great Ormesby,
21st February 1836, his father then a
blacksmith of this parish.
Richard: born at Runham about
1839, and baptized here 17th November 1840.
William: born at Runham about
1840, and baptized here with his brother
Richard.
Marianne Thompson, mother of
the above children, was buried at Runham on
13th December 1840, aged 26. As a consequence
of her death, perhaps, John Bayes Thompson
moved away from Runham for a time; at least he
was not here when the Census of 6th June 1841
was taken. He next married a Martha, but when,
where and her maiden name were not established
- Census evidence, however, is that she was
born at nearby Caister about 1825/6. This
couple had the following children, all details
derived from the Runham parish registers:
Charles George: baptized 31st
August 1845.
Mary Ann(e): baptized 23rd
April 1848.
Eliza: baptized 14th September
1851.
Phoebe: born 26th August and
baptized 29th October 1854.
Frederic Jacob: born 4th and
baptized 23rd September 1857.
Martha: born 20th March and
baptized 8th September 1861. On 8th November
1881, she married Ephraim Knights, a labourer
aged 24 and son of Edward Knights, farmer, the
bride and groom both single of the parish;
witnesses Edward Knights - presumably the
groom's father - and John William Palmer,
apparently the son of Clement Palmer of the
Low Road smithy.
Sarah Elizabeth: born 15th
September and baptized 11th October 1863.
I found John Bayes Thompson's
household at The Street - although the actual
house cannot be precisely identified - given
in Censuses from 1851 to 1881 as follows -
saving I have corrected minor discrepancies
other than slight errors in ages:
30th March 1851:
John Bayes Thompson: head,
married, 38, blacksmith, [born] Runham. Martha
Thompson: wife, married, 25, Caister.
John Henry Thompson: son, 15,
Great Ormesby.
Richard Thompson: son, 11, Runham.
William Thompson: son, 10, scholar, Runham. Charles
George Thompson: son, 5, Runham. Mary Ann
Thompson: daughter, 3, Runham.
7th April 1861:
John Bayes Thompson: head, married, 48, blacksmith,
Martha Thompson: wife, married, 35, Caister.
Charles George Thompson: son, 14, Runham.
Mary Ann Thompson: daughter, 13, Runham.
Eliza Thompson: daughter", 9, Runham .
Phoebe Thompson: daughter, 6, Runham.
Frederick Jacob Thompson: son, 3, Runham.
Martha Thompson: daughter, 1 month, Runham.
Runham.
2nd April 1871:
John Bayes Thompson: head, married, 58, blacksmith,
Runham. Martha Thompson: wife, married, 46,
Caister.
Frederic Jacob Thompson: son, 13, scholar, Runham.
Martha Thompson: daughter, 10, scholar, Runham.
Sarah Elizabeth Thompson: daughter, 7, scholar, Runham.
3rd April 1881:
John Bayes Thompson: head, married, 68, blacksmith,
Runham. Martha Thompson: wife, married, 56,
Caister.
Frederic Jacob Thompson: son, unmarried, 23, Runham.
Sarah Elizabeth Thompson: daughter, unmarried, 16,
Runham. Mary Brooks: lodger, widow, 86,
Winterton.
Caroline Barber: [status in household not given]
married, 19,
Runham.
Not having had access to the
Runham burial register for the relevant
period, I did not ascertain when John Bayes
Thompson and his wife died. I suspect that the
former had died, or at least given up his
smithy, by 1883, for he did not appear in
directories of that year. The smithy concerned
was in the hands of Alfred Hall in 1900, one
who also ran the village Post Office; he may
have operated the smithy a little earlier,
although he was not here in 1896 (directory
evidence).
From 1904 until 1938, the
smithy in The Street was operated by
blacksmiths who actually lived at Stokesby.
The first of these was Benjamin Frosdick, one
who held it until his death in 1921- he was
buried at Stokesby on 6th April then, aged 66.
According to the Duties on Land Values
Schedules of 1910, Benjamin who was the
owner-occupier of a house with smithy in
Stokesby - leased the Runham premises from C.W.
Waters of Herringby Hall.
Benjamin Frosdick had been
baptized at Stokesby on 22nd September 1854,
the son of Richard - also a blacksmith - and
Mary Frosdick. On 27th May 1877 at Stokesby,
Benjamin Frosdick married Elizabeth English,
daughter of George English, labourer, the
bride and groom both single of the parish;
witnesses James Frosdick and Elizabeth
Frosdick.
Upon his father's death, Thomas
Frosdick, also of Stokesby, took over the
running of the smithy in The Street, Runham.
Thomas had been born at Stokesby on 21th
September 1880 and baptized here on the
following 24th October. He ran the smithy
until his own death; the Stokesby parish
register records that this took place at The
Lodge, Bowthorpe Road, Norwich, on 14th
February 1927, and that he was buried three
days later, aged 46.
Register of electors and directory evidence taken
together allow me to state that after Thomas
Frosdick's death, his smithy at Runham was
operated by John Earl, also a resident of
Stokesby, until 1938. I found no evidence as
to its having been in use after that year.
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THE LOW
ROAD SMITHY
According to the Tithe
Apportionment Schedules of 1839, Mary London
owned the row of three cottages by the Low
Road, Runham, at which site a smithy was to
become operational from 1846. In 1839, these
cottages were tenanted by Tubby, Reynolds and
Harvey - the Christian names and occupations
of these heads of household not having been
given. According to the Census of 6th June
1841, the Tubby household was headed by
Harriet, perhaps a widow, aged 45 and born in
Norfolk; the former Reynolds household by
Samuel Knights, a married man, aged 20 and an
agricul tural labourer; buI!T'1
ir!T,Nor-f.olki;r,and:the1'R~]G!s household by
Ben,iamin, a married man, aged 45 and an
agricultural labourer, born in Norfolk.
The smithy at this site was
apparently opened by William Bultitude, one
who operated it until 1852. Census evidence is
that he was born at Runham about 1822, but I
did not find his baptism in the parish
register. William had first married a Mary
Ann, but where, when and her maiden name I did
not establish. The Runham parish register
records the baptism of their son, William, on
30th July 1848, but Census evidence is that he
was aged about 5 by this time; moreover, the
parish register further reveals that William
(the father) was by then married to his second
wife, Isabella. Again, 1 did not establish
when and where she married William, or her
maiden name; Census evidence is that she was
born in Runham, but I found no Isabella
baptized here about the time she was born. Be
that as it may, William and Isabella had the
following children, according to the parish
registers:
Harriet: baptized 30th July
1848 (with her half-brother, above).
George Palmer: baptized 12th
March 1850 and buried 21st May 1852, aged 2.
Isabella: born 3rd November
1851 and baptized 11th July 1852.
William Bultitude's household
was given as follows in the Census of 30th
March 1851:
William Bultitude: head,
married, 29, blacksmith, Isabella Bultitude:
wife, married, 25, Runham. William Bultitude:
son, 8, scholar, Runham. Harriet Bultitude:
daughter, 2, Runham.
George Palmer Bultitude: son,
1, Runham.
Runham.
Clement Palmer succeeded
William Bultitude at the Low Road smithy, he
was recorded here from 1853 until 1896.
Clement was baptized at Great Yarmouth on 30th
January 1816, the son of Edmund Palmer, a
miller, and his wife Elizabeth. I would
suspect that the Palmer and Bultitude families
were related, given George Palmer Bultitude,
above. Clement Palmer married Maria,
illegitimate daughter of Benjamin
Asterton, weaver, and Susanna Digby, spinster.
Maria was baptized at Hevingham on 10th
December 1820, but I did not discover when and
where she married Clement. This couple had the
following children, in respect of the baptisms
of whom Clement was also described as a
blacksmith:
George: baptized at Martham,
26th November 1843. He married Mary Anne
Betts; and, while I did not discover when and
where they married, they had these children at
Runham: George Benjamin, born 5th and baptized
19th September 1866; and Alice Eliza, born
16th May and baptized 14th June 1868.
Anifer Abigail: baptized at Burgh St Margaret, 5th
December 1847.
The following children's details all re Runham, to save
repetition:
Walter: born 28th June and baptized 8th July 1855, and
buried 20th May 1860.
John William: born 6th and
baptized 27th July 1856. He was described as a
husbandman when, on 16th october 1883, he
married Elvina Knights, aged 22 and daughter
of Edward Knights, husbandman, the bride and
groom both single of the parish; witnesses
Edward Knights - probably the bride's father - and Elizabeth Fabb.
William: born 20th May and
baptized 11th July 1858.
I found Clement Palmer's
household in Censuses from 1861 to 1891 as
follows, saving I have cGrrected minor
discrepencies other than slight errors in
ages:
7th April 1861:
Clement Palmer: head, married,
45, blacksmith, Great Yarmouth. Maria Palmer:
wife, married, 41, Hevingham.
George Palmer: son, unmarried,
17, sawyer, Martham.
Anifer Abigail Palmer:
daughter, 13, scholar, Fleggburgh.
John William Palmer: son, 4,
scholar, Runham.
William Palmer: son, 2, Runham.
2nd April 1871:
Clement Palmer: head, married,
55, blacksmith, Great Maria Palmer: wife,
married, 50, Hevingham.
John William Palmer: son, 14,
labourer, Runham. William Palmer: son, 12,
Runham.
Yarmouth.
3rd April 1881:
Clement Palmer: head, wife, 65,
blacksmith, Great Yarmouth.
Maria Palmer: wife, married,
60, Hevingham.
John William Palmer: son,
unmarried, 24, agricultural labourer, Runham.
William Palmer: son, unmarried, 22,
agricultural labourer, Runham.
Alice Eliza Palmer:
granddaughter, 13, Runham.
5th April 1891:
Clement Palmer: head, married,
75, blacksmith (employer), Great Yarmouth.
Maria Palmer: wife, married,
71, Hevingham.
George Benjamin Palmer:
grandson, unmarried, 24, blacksmith
(employed), Runham.
The Runham burial register was not available for the
period concerned for me to discover when
Clement Palmer and his wife died. Clement was
last noted as a blacksmith at the site
concerned in 1896, while his grandson George
Benjamin Palmer was given in his place in 1900
(directory evidence). The Low Road smithy had
apparently ceased to operate by 1904
(directory evidence).
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